Improvement in harness



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcEO F. D. LADENBERGER, OF GLENBEULAH, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARNESS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,062, dated November 2l, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F. I). LADENBEEGER, of Glenbeulah, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harness; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

The drawin grepreseu ts my invention and the manner in which it is attached to the hames, neck-yoke, and wagon-tongue.

It is well known that when one of the forewheels of a wagon strikes an obstruction the rst effect is to stop the advance of that wheel, but the other wheel continuing to advance the end of the tongue is thrown around, giving to the shoulder ot' the horse a sudden and violent blow proportionate in force to the momentum of the wagon and the deadness of the blow against the obstruction 5 but the worst effect is that the horses frequently have their shoulders bruised and are frequently injured and lamcd by the violence of the blow.

Theobjectofmyinventiouisto guard against this violent thrashing about of the wagontongue and the consequentinjury to the horses; and it consists of two straps and a spring attached to each other and to the harnes, neckyoke, and wagon-tongue in the manner hereinafter more fully described.

A is the wagon-tongue. B is the neck-yoke, and C represents the collars and llames of the harness.

The neck-yoke B is attached in the usual manner to the haines O by means of the polestraps D and to the wagon-tongue A by the ring E.

F is a strap, one end of which is attached to the ring at the righ t-hand end of the neck-yoke B by a snap-hook, buckle7 or other suitable manner. It then passes around the roller or pulley of a snap-hook, G, or its equivalent, which said snap-hook is then attached to the inner ring of the hames ofthe near or left-hand horse, whence it passes to the slide-ring H or its equivalent, working upon the end of the spring I.

J is a strap attached in a similar manner to the left-hand end of the neck-yoke B, thence passing around the roller or snap-hook K, attached to the inner ring of the haines of the oft' or right-hand horse, and thence to the righthand side of the end ot` the spring I, where it is attached to the slide-ring H or its equivalent.

Ihe object of attaching the straps F and J to the spring I by means ofthe slide-ringH is to allow the straps to adjust themselves to the different relative positions of the end of the spring and the other parts with which said straps are connected occurring during the dif. ferent operations of drawing and holding back. Thus when, in holding back, the tongue and 'its attachments are crowded forward, to prevent the straps F and J from becoming taut and thus interfering with the direct draft of the pole-straps D, the said straps F and J are attached to the spring I by a slide-ring H or its equivalent, which, as the tongue and its attachments are crowded forward by the press ure of the wagon, slides back along the spring I and keeps the straps F and J slack.

rIhe slide-ring His kept from slipping from the end of the spring I by any of the devices in common use for such a purpose.

The forward end of the spring I should be about in a line with the inner rings ot' the hames when the horses and wagon are at rest on a level road, but a slight variation from this position is immaterial.

The said spring should be of such a length and strength as will give to it the requisite elasticity and power for restraining the thrashing about of the wagon-tongue. The end of the spring which is toward the wagon is secured to the tongue by screws, bolts, rivets, or in any other suitable way. The part of the spring which is forward ot' the part which is attached to the tongue should rise a little above thetongue, so that the elastic part of the spring may not come in contact with the tongue and its proper action be interfered with.

It is immaterial of what substance orin what shape the spring is made provided it possesses the necessary elasticity and lightness without being cumbersome in size,

Having thus described my invention, I claim Wagon-'tongue A and the straps F and J, subas new sind desireto secure by Letters Patent-- stantaliy as described, and for the purpose set l. The straps F and J, in combination with forth.

the spring I, llames C, and neck-yoke B, sub- F. D. LA DENBERGER. .if

stantially as described, and for the purpose set Witnesses forth. p F. HARRINGTON, f).

2. The spring I, in combination with the E. BADGER. 

